The Supreme Court, has on Thursday, nullified the election of the Bayelsa State Governor-Elect, David Lyon, and his running mate, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, who were already preparing to be inaugurated into Office.
The five-man Panel of the Apex Court led by Justice Mary Peter-Odili, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to withdraw the Certificate of Return issued to the All Progressives Congress’, APC, Candidates, as the winners of the November 16, 2019, Governorship election in the State.
The Apex Court ordered INEC to issue fresh Certificates to the Candidates of the party with the next highest votes, and with the required constitutional spread of votes in the results of the election, who are the Peoples Democratic Party’s, PDP, Candidates in the election.
Justice Ejembi Ekwo, who read the lead judgment of the Apex Court, made the orders after disqualifying the APC’s Deputy Governorship Candidate, Degi-Eremienyo, as a Candidate in the election.
The court upheld the November 12, 2019, judgment of the Federal High Court, in Abuja, which had disqualified Degi-Eremienyo in the election, for submitting forged certificates to INEC.
The court ruled that Degi-Eremienyo’s disqualification had affected the joint ticket with which himself and the Governorship Candidate, Lyon, ran for and won, on November 16, 2019.
